Brukkaros Mountain

Brukkaros rises about six hundred and fifty metres above the plains north of Keetmanshoop, a near-circular structure formed around eighty million years ago when rising magma met groundwater and blew out a crater, later eroded into the shape it has now. A track climbs partway up the outer slope and a footpath continues into the crater, which is wide and floored with scrub. A solar observation station was built near the rim in the 1930s and its ruins remain.

What you actually see

• The crater - a wide bowl walked into from the outer slope.
• The rim walk - a path around the edge with views over the southern plains.
• The observatory ruins - a 1930s solar station near the rim.
• The plains - open southern country running away in all directions.

When to go

March to October is the cooler window. Summer heat on the bare rock is severe and the climb is dangerous then. Early morning is the only sensible start.

Honest expectations

The track up is rough and the last stretch is walked; the climb takes two to three hours return. There is no water, no shade and no facilities. A community fee is collected at the village below.

Nearby

Keetmanshoop is south, and the Mesosaurus site is southeast.